Hicksville

Hicksville Awarded $10 Million for Downtown Revitalization

Vision Board and staff had an exciting day this week with the announcement that Governor Cuomo awarded this year’s winner of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award for $10 million to Hicksville.

As in the first round of the DRI, where the Village of Westbury was awarded, one municipality from each of the state’s 10 regional economic development regions will be selected as a $10 million winner, with a total of $100 million in funding and investments available to help communities identify catalytic downtown projects to boost the local economy.

“For Hicksville, the railroad was always the centerpiece of the community. This works as the youth of today are not car-oriented people. They live in downtown centered communities. They are more density and more mass transit for their environment. They want to be within walking distance of their downtown and train station.” Governor Cuomo said. “You created a bottom up plan with vision and local leadership and you were in the top ten of 104 proposals in NYS. Congratulations on winning the top prize of $10 million.”

‘”It is truly wonderful to see this positive movement with the Hicksville Downtown Revitalization efforts,” said Lionel Chitty, Hickville Chamber of Commerce President, and Hickville Downtown Revitalization Committee Chair. “All the hard work done over the past 7 years by the Downtown Hicksville Revitalization Committee, The Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, the local civic associations, the Town of Oyster Bay and all of the community stakeholders has finally paid off. This award will be a catalyst for future growth in Hicksville. With the MTA / LIRR’s multi million dollar renovation of the Hicksville Train Station well underway, this news is further proof that Hicksville is a great opportunity for revitalization and transit oriented development. We look forward to seeing Hicksville become a true destination where people can live, work, shop and play.”

“Years of planning, consensus building and creating trust in the community from the Chamber of Commerce, local civic community, the Hicksville Downtown Revitalization Committee, Nassau County, the LIRR and most recently the Town of Oyster Bay has laid the groundwork for this important NYS investment,” said Vision’s Director Eric Alexander.

The $10 million dollar grant will complement a new $121 million LIRR station in Hicksville, which is in the heart of the downtown. The Hicksville station is where the Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson branches of the LIRR meet, with Routes 106 and 107 intersecting close by.

Elected officials joining the Governor included New York State Senators Carl Marcellino, Kemp Hannon, and Elaine Phillips; New York State Assemblyman Michael Montesano; Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano; Nassau Legislators Rose Walker, Laura Schaefer, and Laura Curran; Suffolk Legislator Kevin McCaffrey; Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Councilmembers Rebecca Alesia, Anthony Macagnone, former Nassau County DeputyComptroller Steve Labriola; Village of Westbury Trustee William Wise and Village of Roslyn Trustee Sarah Oral.

Vision Board members and partners that joined the event included Brandon Ray, AT&T; Gina Coletti, Suffolk Alliance of Chambers of Commerce; Francesca Carlow, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce; and Angel Cepeda, LI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Vision’s Planning Director Elissa Kyle was out of town but the plan would not be in place without her leadership and hard work.

Years of planning, consensus building and creating trust in the community from the Chamber of Commerce, local civic community, the Hicksville Downtown Revitalization Committee, Nassau County, the LIRR and most recently the Town of Oyster Bay has laid the groundwork for this important NYS investment.

Here is a recent timeline of Downtown Revitalization planning actions in Hicksville that led us to this point from local civic, business and municipal leadership:

2010

Visioning workshops are held and shape the downtown plan through multiple public meetings.

Committees to help implement recommendations are formed in the areas of Beautification, Walkability & Code Enforcement, Economic Development, Parking & Housing, and Farmers Market.

2011

Vision Long Island, Chamber of Commerce& Community Council present plans to each of the local civic and community organizations. The Hicksville Downtown Revitalization Committee meets with MTA/LIRR to push for capital improvements.

The Farmers Market committee sets up the Hicksville Farmers Market by the train station to positive reviews.
The Downtown Revitalization Committee representatives meet with NYS DOT to push for traffic calming measures.

2012

LIRR pledges $100 million for station improvements.
Town of Oyster Bay pledges $3 million for streetscape improvements starting on Marie Street.

The New York State Department of Transportation installs countdown timers at pedestrian crossings.
The Downtown Revitalization Draft Plan complete and reviewed by Cvics and Chamber.

2013

The Downtown Revitalization Committee partners with New York University Wagner for market study and tax impact analysis.
The Downtown Revitalization Committee presents plan and market study to Town Board.
Facade rehabilitation of old American Dental building takes place.

2014

Approvals granted for the renovation and conversion of office space to apartments on 76-80 Broadway.
A mixed-use building on Marie Street is expanded.

2015

Plans for LIRR improvements finalized and presented to the Downtown Revitalization Committee for feedback.
Town of Oyster Bay initiates a parking study to determine most efficient use of existing inventory.

2016

Town proposes mixed use zoning changes to Central Business District zone.
First public meeting held on proposed zoning, and draws 600 people.

2017

LIRR station construction underway.
A second public meeting held is on proposed zoning, and draws 400. Overall feedback from both meetings shows people are in favor of 3-4 story buildings around train station area.
Nassau County begins a traffic study of the downtown area.

Town applies for, and receives winning designation from and $10 million award for New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

$1 Billion Garvies Point Mixed-Use Project Contruction Moving Forward

The summer heat can’t stop the progress at the Garvies Point site. Construction at Harbor Landing, the first rental property at Garvies Point, is well underway. Pile driving recently began on the site and continues to move forward. Workers have also begun to spread gravel at the site, and excavation work is planned to begin in the coming weeks. Construction at The Beacon, the first waterfront condominium at Garvies Point, is set to begin soon as well.

More than 13 years after the project was first pitched, development partners Uniondale-based RXR Realty and Farmingdale-based Posillico along with City of Glen Cove opened the complex’s welcoming center in May of last year. The Garvies Point redevelopment will eventually bring 555 rental apartments, 555 for-sale condos, about 75,000 square feet of retail and office space and 28 acres of waterfront esplanades and parks to the site formerly occupied by heavy industry and junkyards. The project’s first phase includes six buildings of four, five and six stories on the eastern portion of the property that will contain the rental apartments and about 25,000 square feet of retail.
Manhattan-based Pizzarotti-IBC is the project’s construction manager and Joseph Roussine, a Glen Cove resident and the company’s vice president of construction is overseeing building at the 56-acre redevelopment on Glen Cove Creek.

“Restoring the waterfront to productive use for the community will bring a much needed economic boost to the Glen Cove community in the form of jobs, tax revenue to the city, and hundreds of millions in spending by new residents,” RXR’s CEO Scott Rechler said in a previous statement.